The Loki who cried Wolf
by Kuribayashi
Summary: The Tenno are a mystical race of warrior monks from Orokin Earth. After centuries of cryosleep, the Tenno have been awakened by Lotus, who guides them in an all-out guerrilla war against the evil forces of the Grineer and Corpus. This story follows the journey of a young Nyx who struggles to balance her spirituality along with the complicated relationship with her partner, a Loki.
1. Chapter 1: Deliquesce

The Loki who cried Wolf

_Prologue_

Ever since they woke up from centuries of undisturbed slumber, many Tenno desperately tried to recover the memories that faded over the years. Lotus, the Tenno's guide to all-out war against the savage Grineer and the cunning Corpus constantly kept Tenno in the field: whether it was assassinating high level targets, sabotaging enemy equipment, rescuing enemy deserters or captured Tenno, capturing intelligence, or extracting Orokin technology. Because of this, some simply ignored their misfortunes and started anew. Close to all Tenno had forgotten their former names and instead were issued one to four digit numbers as means of identification.

While the Tenno obeyed Lotus with spiritual fervor and absolute obedience, it slowly occurred to many that they no longer had adequate amount of time to meditate and reflect on what their past lives could have been and why things were the way they are now. But they were Tenno. A race whose foundations of their very culture were founded on loyalty, chivalry, spirituality and war. But for one Nyx, the flames of war and her restless mind began to tear at her very soul and her relationships with those dearest to her.

_Chapter One_

"Infested incoming", Lotus quietly warned her Tenno. The message was relayed to 126-Loki and 247-Nyx on the Grineer mining ship that had become a breeding ground for infested. Her warning was followed quickly by the all too familiar deafening roar that echoes around the narrow hallway. Nyx looked behind her and sighed.

"They just keep coming huh?" Loki replied as he dropped the empty clip from his Braton automatic rifle onto the ground. It fell to the floor with a soft clang as he pushed in another clip and looked over to his partner. "I should have been teamed with an Ember" he teased.

The Nyx turned around to glare at her partner, even though she knew that he couldn't see her facial expression. It wasn't always like this. Nyx used to be partnered with her good friend, agent 313-Saryn. One day, her superiors ordered that she be partnered with this Loki, and her partner was assigned to agent 494-Frost. She didn't know why she was forced to separate with her partner -once paired, Tenno rarely ever were assigned to others unless of injuries or lack of cooperation and/or trust between the two agents, qualities that Nyx and Saryn did not share- and when she asked her commanding officers, they simply told her that it was 'for the better', whatever that meant. She didn't believe that she could work better with anyone else, but accepted the sudden change. It had been a little over a year since they were paired up.

All Tenno fought in Orokin-created WarFrames that not only fit their fighting style, but it closely matched their personality and character as well. Nyx and her other fellow Tenno who chose the way of the Nyx were calm, rational, logical. They had a sharp mind and were mostly reserved. However, the same couldn't be said for those who chose Loki. The Nyx looked at her partner. He was in the middle of checking his Ether sword, making sure that the modifications he attached to it earlier were still functioning. Those who chose Loki tended to be manipulative, arrogant and deceptive.

Her partner was a bit different. In addition to those three qualities, this particular Loki was an extreme jokester. He frequently taunted her in numerous ways. Whenever she found a stash of credits or ammunition, and Loki was behind her, if he had the energy, he would use his switch teleport skill. Switch teleport was one of Loki's skills that swapped the users' location with the designated target. So in these situations, Loki would be in the room with all the plunder as Nyx would be sent back. When she got there, Loki would have gotten all the good items, leaving her the less desirable items. He would also do the same, if she were just about to reach the extraction point. He would switch teleport with her and boast childishly that he was first and Nyx was second or third and sometimes even fourth. He even had the nerve to brag to her face when their WarFrames told them the statistical scores of their performance in the mission. They worked well together, tactically and strategically, it's just that she found her partner to be annoyingly talkative and rude.

"Nyx. Nyx. I hope you didn't use Mind Control on yourself!"

Nyx blinked. Loki was right in front of her, waving his hands in front of her helmet. She sighed. It bothered her because she never knew why she paid him so much attention. If anything that the centuries worth of cryosleep took away from her besides her memories, it was her discipline. She smacked his hand away.

"I did not" she replied sternly. "Honestly, can't we just do missions in peace?"

"Hey, not my fault a certain someone is spacing out" Loki said with a shrug. He looked past Nyx. "They're closing in". As soon as he finished his sentence, the doors at the end of the hallway swung open and a Ancient Disruptor stumbled through, its distorted and rotten body throbbed wildly. It roared a second time, and moments later the more agile Chargers and Runners appeared from behind it. Loki looked at Nyx and nodded. With that, Nyx ran towards the elevator, her Latron semi-automatic rifle clenched tightly in her hands.

The sound of Loki's Braton firing in controlled bursts illuminated the eerie corridor. "Changing mags" Loki said calmly despite the alarming rate in which he finished his magazine. With that, he turned around and sprinted towards the elevator that Nyx had already called for. Nyx held her breath and looked down the iron sights. Loki was incredibly fast. His particular WarFrame was the fastest of them all. Despite this, the Chargers were gaining on him. Loki ran past a row of metal containers on both sides of the hallways. The infested soon formed a single line as they pursued Loki.

At around 300 feet, Loki gave the thumbs up. Nyx unleashed a steady volley of her Latron downrange at the line Loki had made. He slid on his knees, avoiding the hail of lead. The lead charger was shot through the head, and instantly fell to the floor, the helmet of its Grineer Lancer host hit the floor with a loud _crash._ The other behind it tripped over the corpse and fell into a squirming mess. Loki reached about 100 feet of the elevator and activated a Decoy, which was a hologram of Loki himself, pistol in hand and everything. The Decoy started "shooting" downrange at the infested, which had already gotten back up and were back to their assault.

Loki slid next to Nyx and put a hand on her shoulder. "Miss me?" he chortled. Nyx swore that she could see that stupid grin of his through his damn helmet. She ignored his remark and continued shooting. The elevator's hum grew louder which meant that it was getting close.

"Looks like me needs my help." Loki quickly aimed and opened fire at the horde. The new lead was a Runner, an infested Corpus Crewman. It tackled the hologram and thrashed at the fake Loki violently. Others soon circled around it and the Hologram's shields depleted to zero in no time. The Hologram soon faded, and once again, there was nothing between the charging infested and the two Tenno.

"Damn Grineer, you would think they would have faster elevators" Nyx muttered as she reloaded her rifle.

"That would be the Corpus" Loki replied as he transitioned from bursts to full automatic fire.

The Corpus were known for their advanced technology, while the Grineer were known for sheer force in numbers. _Beep!_ The elevator hit the bottom floor and the doors opened loudly. Loki and Nyx slowly retreated backwards into the elevator while keeping up a steady rate of fire. The smoke cleared and Nyx held up her hand. Loki obeyed and held his fire. The corridor in front of them was clear. The infested on the floor were either dead or were dissolving into a sickening green pulp. Nyx sighed and dropped her Latron's magazine and fed a fresh one. She then let the rifle fall to her side and let her head dip.

The minute her and Loki set foot on the ship that would extract them, they would be briefed about their performance and would possibly be assigned to another mission the very next moment. In this moment of silence, she wished to have a few moments to herself to meditate. She used to be able to reach her calm state without the WarFrames help but lack of proper time to meditate by herself left her rusty and dull. Although it hurt her pride as a Tenno, she allowed it to slightly assist her.

This time, she used a _form_ of Mind Control on herself. Mind Control's actual effects were that it penetrated the consciousness of a single enemy and made it fight other enemies, thinking itself as Tenno. However, Nyx aimed this technique inwards and instead of persuading herself she was Tenno, simply told her mind to relax.

Right before she closed her eyes, she saw the energy counter in the top right corner of her helmet's visor to decrease from 25 to 0. Nyx felt free. It felt as if she were back in the temple and she was wearing silk clothes instead of her WarFrame. She smiled. She valued spirituality more than any other Tenno. She opened her eyes again, and this time she was in the middle of a brook. She decided to sit down on a small patch of grass. The sound of the water gently passing by and the feeling of the sun's rays gently beaming down on her shoulders brought a single tear to her eyes.

_Beep!_ The sound of the elevator came out of nowhere. _No not now._ Nyx pleaded. It was too late, she was being shaken by somebody. The brook soon disappeared from beneath her feet and soon she was brought violently back into reality.

"Nyx!" Loki shouted. "Snap out of it! We have infested!"

Nyx looked in front of her and saw that an Ancient Disruptor was trying to claw its way into the elevator. The elevator doors had already been ordered shut, but the Ancient's putrid flesh was keeping it from being shut. Loki jammed his Braton into the Ancient's torso and fired.

The Ancient gave a roar and knocked Loki away with its gigantic arm. He hit the elevator wall as Nyx watched in horror as the blue shield that protected Loki's fragile WarFrame shattered. His shields were at 0 and his health had dropped from a safe 300 to 150. The Ancient opened up its torso and absorbed the Braton rifle. Where the helmet on the infested Corpus Crewman used to be, were beady red and green eyes instead. They wandered from Loki to Nyx, who was leaned against the other side of the elevator, trembling. The Ancient leaned forwards, a pair of tentacles popped out of its head and reached towards Nyx. Blood and slime dripped from the infested. It inched closer and closer to Nyx, yet she was unable to do anything. Her fully loaded Latron rifle seemed to weigh more than anything. _Am I going to die here?_

"RRRAAHHH!" _SLASH._ The tentacles were severed inches away from her helmet. Nyx looked to her left to see Loki back on his feet with his Flame Ether drawn. He swung again, severing the second pair of tentacles that emerged from the Ancient's body. The Ancient let out a scream as it struggled to regenerate its lost limbs as well as keeping the elevator doors open. Loki roared and impaled the Ether deep into the Ancient's eyes. Nyx dropped her Latron and covered her eyes as Loki cut away at the Ancient. He used both hands as he pushed the blade up and down, effectively blinding the Ancient. It stumbled backwards, shrieking in pain, allowing the elevator doors to close slowly. Loki quickly pulled out his Lex magnum and fired a single shot through the Ancient's head, effectively destroying the brain. Soon it too, began to dissolve into a mushy green pulp. The elevator began to ascend to the loading bay. Loki dropped his sword and turned to Nyx.

"What the hell was that?" he demanded. Nyx had never heard him raise his voice like that. "Of all places possible, you wanted to meditate during a mission, and on top of that, an _INFESTED SHIP?"_ Loki practically spat the last few words out. Nyx opened her mouth to speak but nothing came out but wild sobs. She curled up into a ball and put her hands over her face. A Tenno, crying. Loki let out a long sigh before kneeling next to Nyx. "Nyx" he began. His head drooped. "I'm-I'm so sorry. I didn't mean to yell at you."

Nyx shook her head. "No, you're right" she whimpered. "Because of me we almost died". Loki wrapped his arms around her.

"It's okay" he said as he held her tightly. "We're both alive."

The elevator reached the top and it let out a soft _Beep._ The doors opened and in front of them were two Tenno. A Rhino and a Frost raised their Strun shotguns towards the elevator.

"Tenno?" the Frost asked cautiously. Behind him were a several other Tenno, waiting at the edge of the bay, waiting for extraction.

"Tenno" Loki replied. He took a step forward with Nyx in his arms.

"What about the Nyx?" the Rhino questioned, shotgun still pointed at the two. "What is the status of her WarFrame?"

"She's just unconscious", Loki replied with impatience. The Frost lowered his gun, but the Rhino remained firm.

"Let me examine the girl" he insisted. Loki rolled his eyes, not that anyone could see.

"NYX is fine, I checked her myself" Loki shot back, voice raised.

The Frost sighed. "Maybe you should just let him check" he said as he approached Loki.

Loki swore and drew his Ether. "If any of you lay a hand on her, you'll lose it" he snapped back.

The Rhino let out a sneer and approached Loki. The Ether's blade touched Rhino's chest with a _tik _and continued to scrape up against it until it reached his chin. "Got a lot of nerve coming from a Loki" he replied maliciously.

"Hey, drop it you two!" the Frost interrupted as he pushed himself between the sword and the Rhino. He turned to Loki. "I believe you-is she hurt?"

"No, she's fine" Loki murmured. "She just needs to rest" he concluded as he sheathed his Ether.

As he walked past the two Tenno, he could hear the Frost and Rhino arguing about Nyx.

He reached the platform with the other Tenno. There were four of them, which brought the total number of Tenno assigned to this ship to eight in total. The group of four stopped what they were doing and walked over. A Saryn and an Ember stood behind Loki while a Mag and an Excalibur stood behind Nyx.

"What's the matter with-? the Ember asked curiously before being silenced by the Excalibur.

Saryn put a hand on Loki's shoulder and gently squeezed before she escorted her chatty partner to a safe distance out of earshot range. The Excalibur kneeled down beside the unconscious Nyx and bowed.

"This is your partner?" he asked quietly.

"Yes." Loki replied.

"Do not be ashamed-" Excalibur stated slowly. He held up a hand when Loki twitched. "-but be proud of her."

"He is right, Loki. Nyx's are very emotional" Mag spoke up, her helmet's visor swirled with colors as she studied Nyx. "Their very power come directly from the mind. We Tenno fight with our guns and blades with our mind to guide us. Nyx must do all of that while using her mind as a weapon itself. "Those who choose Nyx have the heaviest burden of us all" Mag concluded. She gave a slight bow to Nyx, and then walked over to a very curious Ember.

"Extraction is ready. Good job Tenno" Lotus assured her agents. The Extraction ship entered through the plasma barrier separating the docking bay from space and opened its magnetic ports. One by one, the rest of the agents stepped into the mold, and the ship magnetized them in, securing them safely. Loki helped Nyx up and made sure she was secure before boarding last.

"Let's go home Tenno."

* * *

**Author's Note**

Please leave a review and thanks for reading!


	2. Chapter 2: Homeworld

_Chapter Two_

It was one of the longest fifteen minute rides Loki ever had to endure as the extraction ships brought them back to the hidden Tenno colony on Neptune's unnamed moon. It was almost laughable at how oblivious the Corpus were: the enemy they so desperately wanted to conquer was actually right underneath their noses. Neptune was naturally under direct control of the Corpus and acted as one of the biggest Corpus establishments for civilization. Moons were usually rich in minerals and natural resources so it was only expected that the Corpus and their proxies launch an expedition to the moon to inspect. What they didn't know is that Lotus and her organization had the moon terraformed in secret since the very day that space matter started to coalesce into a moon.

When the moon had finally become an actual "moon", the Corpus sent out a team of scientists, infantry, and mechanics to look after the small army of MOA's and Ospreys that accompanied them. MOA's were the bipedal proxies that mainly accompanied Corpus Crewmen into battle. They were fast, dangerous in numbers, and came in a variety. There were the "standard" MOA's, the weakest of the bunch who only had a Plasma Gun mounted on top of the unit. The next in line was the "Shockwave" MOA, which was slightly more armored and instead of just a Plasma gun, its main method of attack was that the unit stomped the floor with incredible force that even knocked Tenno off-balance. "Railgun" MOA's were extremely lethal. They had a more powerful variant of the Plasma Gun mounted on top, but the modified gun fired after a charge, releasing a shot of concentrated power. These charged plasma bursts were capable of shooting through solid walls. Because of its extreme accuracy and reduced rate of fire, Railgun MOAs acted as snipers. Loki had seen his fair share of fellow Tenno die as a result of a well-placed Railgun shot to the head when their shields and health were low. "Fusion" MOA's were the strongest. Heavily armored and capable of deploying Ospreys, Fusions also brandished laser cannons that fired continuous flows of thermal energy.

Ospreys were flying proxies that accompanied Crewmen and MOA's often. They too, were dangerous in numbers and came in three variants. Shield Ospreys cloaked allies with shields, and were rather annoying when they were flying overhead huge groups of enemies. Mine Ospreys dropped electrical mines that exploded after a few seconds. Leech Ospreys fired small proxies that were in the shape of a leech that attached itself to enemies and drained its shields. Once the shields depleted, it dropped off automatically, like a real leech that couldn't drink any more.

When the Corpus landed, their systems were instantly tapped into by Lotus. She carefully manipulated the geo-scan, which basically told the Corpus whether or not the moon had useful materials and if so, where it was. The geo scan came up as "inconclusive" based off on strong magnetic interference from the moon's core supposedly. This data was also fabricated. When a few brave scientists and their proxies ventured out of their ships to check for themselves, Lotus either made the weather unbelievably cold, to the point where some MOA's and scientists froze where they stood, or she ordered Tenno to kill lone Corpus when no one else was looking to make it look like a freak accident from equipment or the weather.

Saryns were also known to shed their skins in the middle of the blizzards so that it looked like a shadowy figure in the middle of the blizzard that was there one minute and gone the next. These techniques discouraged the hopeful Corpus and even instilled fear among the scientists and soldiers as Lotus listened in on their private transmissions back to Neptune. Some simply said that the moon was just not worth it, while others said that it was 'haunted'. This was very amusing to Lotus and her Tenno, for the Corpus were not a superstitious people.

He clenched his fists and stared disdainfully at the blue planet that was Neptune, thinking of how he didn't understand the Corpus. He didn't understand why they were so obsessed with wiping out Tenno just for their Orokin technology. The Corpus were so much more technologically advanced than the Grineer: they had abandoned "old" weapons and adopted energy weapons. For the most part, Corpus proxies did most of the fighting for them. Even though the Grineer were expanding at a terrifying rate, Loki firmly believed that the Corpus would be able to fight a successful war against the Grineer.

Loki was once ordered to assassinate a Corpus scientist and when he had broken into the scientist's laboratory, the scientist desperately activated every MOA unit he could get his hands on. They fell one by one, and when Loki had his rifle pointed at the man's head, the scientist was still desperately trying to revive one of the damaged MOA units. He wanted to feel remorse for killing the scientist, but he couldn't. A single shot with his Braton rifle pierced the scientist's unshielded helmet, splattering blood all over his precious MOA.

He didn't understand, no matter how hard he tried. They had the technology, they had the trade, and they even had the ever-growing dangerous and intelligent proxy armies to protect and serve them, yet they still attacked the Tenno. They also could combat infested and achieve unbelievable kill-death ratios for their proxies could not be infected by the Technocyte plague. They had everything necessary to build a peaceful and well-protected empire, but it wasn't enough. They desired more. That alone grouped them with the savage and envious Grineer; something Loki felt that the Corpus should have never let them degrade themselves to.

His ship slowly descended into the moon's fragile atmosphere. He listened to the ships thrusters adjust itself as needed. It wasn't long before the ship passed through, but from the feel of it, it was getting stronger, which was good. The Corpus sometimes tested long-range prototype weapons on the moon's surface to gauge the weapon's' strength. While they usually breached the weak atmosphere, they rarely ever came close to the colony. Soon he heard the planet's ever-familiar sound of wind blowing and the snow that accompanied it. Keeping the planet at a temperature of -400 degrees Fahrenheit was the only way to keep Corpus from becoming interested in the moon again. While the WarFrames kept Tenno safe, only Frosts were suited for extended exposure to the dangerous climate.

The ship continued to lower its altitude as it entered the final stretch: a canyon made entirely of ice. Loki readied himself for the drop. He wondered if Nyx had awoken by now. It was so strange, after he had put his arms around her, trying to comfort her, the crying suddenly stopped. When he pulled back and looked at her, he realized that she had lost consciousness. Her vitals were fine, except that her stress levels were going off the chart. Loki grimaced. He felt absolutely awful for what he unintentionally did.

"T-minus 10 seconds until drop-off" the computed voice reminded Loki.

Loki exhaled deeply and shook his head; he needed to see how she was doing. The ship assumed a vertical position and the door opened, Loki ejected and landed on both feet on the snow-covered floor while his ship flew into the underground station for refueling. The other Tenno who were assigned on the same mission soon joined him. One by one, they were all waiting for Nyx's ship. It appeared from around the corner, and made its way right above Loki. He braced himself, just in case. The door opened and she fell, body limp and unresponsive. Loki reacted quickly and caught her in his arms. He kneeled down and set her down as gently as he could.

"Nyx?" he whispered. He squeezed her hands next. "Can you hear me?"

The Rhino scoffed. "Still not awake after all this time?"

Loki turned around angrily to see him shrug sarcastically. As if he read his mind, the Excalibur faced Rhino and said something that Loki didn't hear. Whatever he said, it made the Rhino leave immediately. His partner, the Frost kneeled down beside him.

"We should request that she be picked up by medics. There might be something more serious to her that we don't know about" he took a deep breath. "It's your call, you are her partner".

Loki held Nyx's left hand with both of his and lowered his head. "Do it".

The Frost nodded and stood back up. "107-Frost to medical ward, requesting transport for a casualty. Affirmative, just one" He put a hand on Loki's shoulder. "They're on their way my friend, do not worry, she'll be in good hands."

The Frost gave a quick bow and jogged into the base to catch up with his partner. Loki held Nyx tightly, as he waited for the medics to arrive. He heard the others leave, but only the voice of the hyperactive Ember bombarding her partner, the Saryn, with questions. The Excalibur and Mag were silent. Judging by their seriousness and manner of speech from earlier, Loki guessed that they were high ranking veterans.

The wind blasted his WarFrame and he began to feel the chills of the wind. Thankfully the medics arrived before it dug any deeper into his fragile armor. A team of four medics, suited up in their respective Trinity WarFrames funneled out of the entrance. Tenno who chose Trinities were highly knowledgeable in trauma: both physical and mental. They were methodical, fast-thinkers but most of all, willing to engage as a support. With so much power, it was incredibly hard to refrain from joining the frenzy. Because of this, he gave the Trinities credit: withholding oneself from the heat of battle was a hard thing to do indeed. The medics motioned for Loki to step back in which he obeyed quickly. They effortlessly lifted her onto the floating stretcher and checked her vitals as they rushed back into the entrance from whence they came. Loki was left alone in the freezing cold. He picked up Nyx's Latron and jogged to the entrance.

The colony had multiple floors and entrances but the entrance they had just used was the most important. Almost all Tenno agents went through this small entrance to either board or disembark from the ships that sent them all over the Sol system to fight their guerilla war against the Corpus, Grineer and the Infested. It was relatively uncongested, for it was the busiest during dawn and dusk when agents flooded through whether to embark or disembark from their mission. The Tenno colony went down over 100 floors; enough room to sustain the 3,000 and growing Tenno that lived here. He passed through the plasma barrier that separated the warm interior from the freezing outside. The sudden change from -400 degrees to a warm 50 ought degrees sent his body into a small-scale sensory panic, despite his armor's best ability to adjust as fast as possible. A few seconds later, it was gone. He sighed a breath of relief and then turned right down the hallway to reach the elevator that would take him to the 65th floor, where he and Nyx lived. The left would have taken him to the underground station where Tenno air force was maintained. The elevator opened and a team of Embers poured out, conversing loudly about the infested. _Of course_ _they would_. The Infested were incredibly weak against fire, so missions where Infested were a possible enemy, Embers were always included. He gave a slight bow as they passed by him and judging by their delayed response to return the bow, he could tell that they were rookies. He quickly glanced at their shoulders and saw the symbol for Initiate (the lowest military rank of the Tenno). He stepped into the elevator and waited a few seconds before pushing the button for the 65th floor.

Embers tended to be dynamic, easily excitable, and energetic. Loki's original partner was also an Ember... Loki hit his helmet. _No, don't think about her._ He took a deep breath and cracked his knuckles. The door opened and he quickly made his way out, brushing past two off-duty Tenno. They held hands and seemed to be having a serious conversation. The Avalanche and Poison Cloud tattoos on their necks revealed them to be Frost and Saryn users. It made sense that they were close. Frosts and Saryns had a lot of common. Users for both WarFrames usually were very serious, and in some ways, perfectionists.

Loki made his way through the floor's Grand Hall which bustled with activities. Children played with their peers and parents while merchants bartered to customers and off duty soldiers sipped at beverages while they discussed business. Whenever Tenno were off-duty, they were required to remove their WarFrames. A few armored security guards paced around, keeping a watchful eye over the public. The Grand Hall glistened with Tenno architecture and culture. The ceilings were tall and spacious, with massive chandeliers with fluorescent lights that brightly illuminated the hall. Every Grand Hall had a small brook run across, beneath a stretch of glass floor. Engraved into the walls were Orokin art that usually consisted of constellations and planets. Each floor of the 100 floor Tenno Colony had a Grand Hall. The Grand Hall acted as center of each floor and as a terminal for all miscellaneous rooms. Trade occurred in the Grand Hall every day. Tenno who were too young, too old or were not suit for combat for whatever reasons were tasked with being farmers, crafters, fishermen, hunters and jewelers among dozens of other non-combat occupations.

Loki soon made his way out of the bustling Hall and crossed the northern light bridge and arrived at the wing that housed the floors' combatants. He and Nyx shared a room together, as partners were required. Their room was in the middle of Row 1 out of 30 rows. He opened the door after punching in the seven digit pass code and shuffled in. He set Nyx's Latron gently against her side of the room and then stepped into his armory locker. The doors quickly closed behind him and in the darkness, Loki said the pass code to continue. "Disassemble".

A computerized voice replied back nonchalantly "Affirmative, disassembly initiating". The locker lit up briefly in blue as his shields were carefully deactivated. Once completely removed, the glow disappeared and half a dozen small mechanical claws reached out from the corners of the locker and went to work. They inserted keys into the small holes that covered Loki's armor. It twisted and turned in a specific manner that allowed the WarFrame to release itself from the adjacent pieces. One by one, they were taken off, with the helmet taken off last. "Disassembly completed" the computer said finally as all the armor pieces were set back carefully into their respective slots in the locker.

Next, the locker injected a syringe into his neck, and released the correct dosage of health serum into his bloodstream. A Tenno's "health", whilst inside a WarFrame came from two factors: blood volume and the ability to absorb force trauma. When a WarFrame's shields dropped, it was vulnerable; just as any other armor. Tenno had to be able to withstand going into shock from blood loss while their WarFrame either cauterized the wound or replenished its shields; whatever came first. "Health" modifications certainly helped but they had to be removed for they put Tenno's internal blood volume at an abnormal level. The serum returned his body's internal properties to its original state while removing modifications, if any.

The door which he stepped through opened from behind him and Loki stepped out, his body badly bruised from the encounter in the elevator earlier that day. Random bursts of pain shot throughout his body as he stripped out of his undergarments and tossed them into the hamper where they were beamed to the wing's cleaning room. He lazily entered the shower, closed the door behind him and punched in the temperature of the water desired on the side panel, a warm 60 degrees. A split second later, warm glacier water at the exact temperature poured over Loki's body. He carefully massaged his back and thought about the Infested and how terribly strong they were.

Just how the Grineer and Corpus had "super" troops such as Bombards and the Fusion MOAs, the Infested had Ancients, which were the strongest type of infested. They came in three variants: Toxics, Healers and Disruptors. The Healers were the weakest of the bunch but they emitted a healing wave every four of five seconds, which made them incredibly problematic when surrounded by mobs. Toxics emitted a toxic aura as it shuffled around clumsily. Even after death, the area around it lingered with poisonous gas that even WarFrame shields couldn't keep out. _(It did give him extreme satisfaction when he saw Saryns kill Toxics and other poison based Infested with her own toxic attacks.)_ The Disruptors were the strongest and most troublesome. Disruptors, like the other two ancients had incredibly flexible arms that could reach two times its original length. But not only did it pack a punch if it made contact with an enemy, it absorbed any amassed energy within Tenno WarFrames.

During defend missions, it was crucial for Tenno to save their energy when the Cryopod was in a pinch. Many Tenno, including himself on multiple occasions were robbed of their chance to release their ultimate move, the move that cost a valuable 100 energy when a Disruptor unfortunately made contact with them. The Infested, while dumb and reckless, still had basic strategic skills. Whenever they sensed weakness in enemy formation they packed Chargers and Runners around a Disruptor for they knew that the Disruptor could hinder and even stop the Tenno from unleashing their deadly WarFrame powers.

His first partner, 501-Ember was always target number one when they went on Infested missions together. She was the true embodiment of an Ember. Cheerful and uplifting, she was the sister he never had, and he loved her dearly for it. Loki blinked his eyes as tears rolled down his cheeks. It had been just a little bit over one year since her death, which resulted in him being partnered up with Nyx. The water stopped as soon as he pressed the stop button and stepped out of the shower. He grabbed his towel and wiped his face before exhaling deeply into the towel. If she was here, she would have teased him for being such a baby.

He forced a smile and decided to go with her advice. He wrapped the towel around his waist and stepped out the shower and looked at Nyx's side of the room. She kept it very simple with few pictures and decorations, unlike Ember who had her side cluttered with all sorts of things ranging from pictures, rare minerals, weapon blueprints and even a Corpus helmet (She liked to put it on and mimic the Corpus' strange way of speech -it always made Loki laugh hysterically-). His side was empty, except for two framed pictures. One was a picture of Nyx and him posing in the Command bridge of a Grineer Asteroid base they had captured all by themselves. Nyx was in an at-ease pose: her legs were shoulder width apart and she held her hands behind her back. Loki on the other hand was flexing his bicep muscles. Directly next to that picture on its left was a picture of Ember and him, taken by a helmet cam. The two of them had just completed a dangerous assassination mission of a high-ranking Grineer commander and the both of them were injured. As a joke or just an act of camaraderie, she had swooped him up into her arms while she ran towards the Colonies' front entrance. A Volt, who had accompanied them on the very same mission managed to get the perfect shot from his helmet of her running towards the base, holding a struggling and very embarrassed Loki in her arms. It was dramatic, it was funny, but most of all, it captured the relationship between the two. They were perfect together. Both were energetic jokesters. In fact, Loki had been very serious before being paired up with Ember. It was her who had rubbed off her enthusiasm and sense of humor onto him. Loki looked away from the picture.

He shook his head and dug out another pair of clothes from his drawer; a black off-duty uniform. The uniform was plain, it came with matching black socks and a black cap. His rank of Captain was embroidered onto both shoulders. He went back to his Armory locker and opened it again, to check inventory before leaving. His armor had taken a beating but it was still in good condition. His Flame Ether was also in good condition. The only thing that was missing was his Braton Assault Rifle. He pouted, he would have to buy another one from the main armory, starting again from square one. The Braton that the Disruptor consumed was maxed out to level 30 and had a few modifications attached to it. Luckily he still had dozens of unused modifications stored for future use in his locker. It wasn't too bad, for the Braton was one of the cheapest weapons on the market, next to its weaker and original cousin, the MK-1 Braton.

Loki walked over to Nyx's side, picked up her Latron Rifle and bounced it up and down in his hands. The Latron was a deadly rifle with impressive accuracy. It was perfect for mid to long-range engagements and still surprisingly lethal at close range. It wasn't the weapon for him though. He preferred automatic weapons with large ammo capacities. While the Braton had a smaller clip size and less accurate than the MK-1 Braton, the standard issue rifle of the Tenno, it was faster and stronger. He could use both expertly, but ultimately preferred the Braton. He opened Nyx's locker and removed the magazine: it was full. He snapped it back in and set it on the weapon rack before closing the locker. He decided it was time to visit Nyx. He opened the door, gave one last somber glance at his pictures and then left, the door closed behind him with a quiet _whish_.

* * *

**Author's Note**

Please leave a review and thanks for reading!


	3. Chapter 3: Sins & Secrets

_Chapter Three_

Loki entered the medical ward of floor 65. At the receptionist desk sat a single Trinity user. She was young, perhaps still in training. She had her black hair tied up into the traditional bun and a single metal pin kept it in place. She wore a matching black silk dress which contrasted with brown eyes which glistened against the light that emitted from the holographic pad in front of her. She stood up as he approached the desk. Loki bowed in which she returned it quickly. Loki smiled and nodded, and she sat back down.

"Good evening, how may I be of assistance" she looked at his shoulder. "-captain?" she finished courteously.

"I'm looking for 247-Nyx. She was admitted earlier this afternoon."

The receptionist nodded and punched the given info into her pad. She looked up and motioned to her right. "She is in room 11. It will be on your left, Captain."

Loki smiled. "Thank you very much Doctor."

"You're very welcome, Captain."

Loki walked to the left of the desk down Hall A, where he passed rooms 1, 3, 5, 7, 9 and then he reached 11. The door was closed and had a single circular window. There appeared to be something small turned on, as a faint florescent light filtered out. He closed his eyes and cleared his throat before he pushed the doors' open panel. The door slid open and he quietly walked in.

A single bed with medical instruments on both of its sides, a small florescent wall lamp and a chair accompanied her in the room. There was no one inside but Nyx who lay on the bed, sleeping soundly. He bit his lips as he walked forwards and took a seat next to her. He touched the memo pad that hung on the side of her bed. It registered his touch and brought him to the main profile of the patient. Loki scrolled past "Administered Time" and then "Treated By" to reach the "Status Report". Each patient inside a medical ward was diagnosed and treated by a team of doctors. A formal report was then written for other doctors and others visitors to read. Loki read the report carefully out loud to himself.

"247-Nyx. Age: 22. Cause of hospitalization: Mental overexertion." Loki nodded. _So that's what happened._ He continued.

"According to multiple second opinions, it appears that 247 has suffered from a severe mental breakdown most likely brought on by combat induced stress. No physical wounds present. Vitals read healthy. Stress levels are at an abnormal level. Estimated recuperation time: 1-2 days. 247 confirmed as VIP by Lotus. Partner wanted for-" Loki stopped and swallowed hard. He hung the memo pad back on the bed and blinked. "questioning" Loki finished with unease.

He rubbed his eyes. His commanding officers would probably find and interrogate him within the day to hear his side of the story. He wasn't supposed to let anything happen to Nyx. He knew that more than anyone. _But it was her who decided to meditate in the middle of an infested ship!_ Loki shook his head. He couldn't pin the blame on her, he knew how important she was to him, and more importantly, to Lotus. Loki shifted his attention to Nyx. He hoped that she was dreaming of pleasant things, judging by her peaceful expression on her face. It was a rare moment where he was able to look at her freely, for she always shot him defensive glares whenever she caught him looking at her longer than he should have. He stopped denying it to himself a long time ago. Nyx was astonishingly beautiful. Her hair was a lovely shade of mahogany. It was short, yet long enough to distinguish her as a definite female. It was the tiniest bit curly and at the front, brushed to the left, and barely hung over her eyes. He couldn't see them now, but her natural eye color was green, which was uncommon for Tenno. Most Tenno's eye colors were brown.

Loki's train of thought of admiring Nyx's beauty were soon interrupted by the sound of footsteps. He listened intently and realized that they were approaching Nyx's room and the privacy he shared with her would soon be cut short. Impulsively, Loki leaned over Nyx, gently touched foreheads and gave a chaste kiss on her left cheek. He straightened up and pivoted around just to see an officer walk through the door. The insignia on his shoulders identified the male as a Colonel, a powerfully built one. The man was certainly intimidating, but Loki didn't know whether made him more uneasy: the almost wild look in the Colonel's eyes or that he had a broad scar that ran from his forehead to his chin in a horrible diagonal pattern. He also noticed a row of sheathed Kunai throwing daggers sewn onto his belt. He bowed at once in which the Colonel replied with the tiniest sense of impatience in his voice "At ease, Captain". His voice was gruff and powerful.

Loki straightened his posture. "Is this about 247, sir?"

"Correct", the Colonel replied, eyebrow slightly raised. "I will need to escort you to a hearing concerning 247's current predicament".

Loki nodded. "Right away, sir." Loki made his way out of the room while the Colonel followed him closely. Right before the door closed, Loki looked one last time at his sleeping partner. "Sleep well, Serah."

Loki was escorted to the elevator where two armed guards who had waited for the two of them to then go to the 100th floor. By the time he reached the elevator, Loki managed to spot the Blade Storm tattoo on the Colonel's neck. He was an Ash user, the notorious counterpart to the Excalibur. The Excalibur WarFrame was not only the strongest of the original 13, but it was exclusively used only by the strongest Tenno. This dangerous combination of pure skill and power won the respect from Grineer and Corpus alike all throughout the galaxy. While the sight of any WarFrame sent chills down enemies' spines, the sight of an Excalibur instilled very different reactions among the Corpus and the Grineer. For the Corpus, Crewmen frantically scrambled to the "safety" behind their proxies while the Grineer on the other hand ferociously attacked until they were all dead, for if a simple clone managed to kill an Excalibur, he or she would be hailed as a God amongst Grineer society. Excalibur users were natural-born leaders. They were charismatic, iron-willed, and valiant warriors. Loki studied the Ash Colonel. He seemed to fit the common Ash characteristics all right. Ash users tended to be withdrawn, vindictive, and often sadistic.

According to Tenno folklore, the original Excalibur and Ash users were both brothers. They fought the "Sentients" together as partners. Their incredible strength and power earned them fame and respect throughout Orokin society. While both fought for the survival and pride of their people, the two brothers soon diverged significantly in personality and philosophy. The Excalibur fought with mercy and restraint. He spared enemies who had surrendered from his blade and killed only when necessary. His brother acted otherwise. Any and all enemies of the Orokins were put to his blade. No amount of pleading and repentance could spare any Sentient from his red sword. When Excalibur confronted his brother about his atrocities, the Ash simply replied that he had abandoned all remorse and compassion for anyone else besides the Orokins. If he was ordered to kill, he would kill. Ash had discarded his own humanity for he believed that emotions would only hinder his own success on the battlefield. Excalibur protested and said that they needed to show restraint and mercy. He agreed that they were the sword and shield of the Orokin people, but they needed not to become murderers, but warriors. He asked his brother to consider a scenario where their people turned corrupt and evil. Would he still obey and kill for them without second thought? Ash's response shocked Excalibur. Ash stated that he would. Excalibur begged his brother to abandon that philosophy and instead adopt his own: follow given orders but ultimately follow your own heart in the pursuit of justice. Ash rejected that philosophy and called Excalibur's philosophy weak and feeble.

What happened next remained a mystery to the present day. There are several interpretations of what happened next. Most believe that the two brothers engaged in a climactic duel to the death and it was the Excalibur who triumphed over his brother, only to commit suicide afterwards. Others believed that the Ash abandoned his brother to continue his wicked ways, forever splitting Excalibur and Ash users apart. Some even believed that the dispute between the two legendary brothers sparked a civil war among their people and along with the uncontrollable Technocyte plague, lead to the ultimate demise of the Orokins: their only descendants to be the Tenno. Whether the tale was true, or Tenno simply unconsciously self-fulfilled the prophecy, there was a deep seeded mistrust between Excalibur and Ash users. Therefore, they were never paired together.

Loki looked at the guards who escorted him. Both were in non-combat attire and wielded Braton-Vandal automatic rifles. He spotted the Black Hole and Overload tattoos on both of their necks, meaning that they were Vauban and Volt users. To his left was the Volt. He was young, perhaps around Nyx's age. Besides being smaller in size and thinner, he sported the common buzz cut. To his right was the Vauban, who was much older, perhaps in his forties. He had a beard and his graying hair was tied into a rat-tail. Although not as big as the Colonel, his arms looked like they could crush a MOA with ease. The Tenno colony's internal security force consisted of all WarFrames, but a major part of it was composed of Vauban and Frost users for their WarFrame powers were highly useful for obvious reasons. Volt and Loki users were also an important part of the force, but they were usually tasked with being messengers or for any emergencies that required speed.

Volts and Vaubans were considerably less intimidating and mysterious than the Excalibur and the Ash. Volt users tended to be energetic, brilliant and ambitious warriors. Eerily similar in personality to Embers, Tenno of the two WarFrames got along very well. A conversation between a Volt and an Ember was like watching a MOA's circuit board going haywire: it was infinitely amusing and spectacular. Vaubans on the other hand were usually wise, humble, and selfless warriors. In addition to a wide knowledge of mechanics and engineering, Vaubans were commonly known as 'gentle giants'. Despite being physically domineering, they sported kind hearts and were known never to instigate fights, whether or not it was the other parties' fault or not.

They made their way through a maze of hallways and connectors which ultimately lead him to a seemingly empty room.

"Wait here", the Colonel ordered. "Come outside when you are done."

He motioned for the guards to follow him and soon the doors from which Loki had entered closed behind him, surrounding him in complete darkness. A beat later, a single light beamed over him and a holographic image of Lotus herself along with four other cloaked Tenno, all seated, appeared some ten feet away from Loki. "Good evening, Captain" Lotus greeted.

Loki's first reaction was to kneel on both knees and touch his head to the floor.

Lotus accepted the gesture. "You may rise 126", she said calmly. Loki straightened out his posture, but remained on his knees. It was expected of Tenno to take both knees whenever in the physical presence of Lotus, hologram or not.

"126", Lotus continued, "do you know why you are here before my council members and I today?".

Loki nodded with guilt. _They know_. "It is because of my failure to procure the safety of my partner, 247."

Lotus pursed her lips. Her elaborate headgear blocked any sight of her eyes. She wore an intricate dress in a dark shade of purple. Rarely seen in person, only the highest ranking Tenno commanders and Tenno who received the death sentence were allowed to meet her in person. As the Tenno's spiritual and military leader, Lotus' wisdom and vast knowledge of the enemy allowed her to conduct an extraordinarily successful campaign against the Grineer, Corpus, and Infested aggressors.

"126, we reviewed your and 247's camera feeds of the events that happened today," Lotus paused, as if to carefully word her next statement correctly. -"and it is our unanimous conclusion that you are not the one at fault, but in fact, 247 herself."

Loki opened his mouth to protest, but Lotus held up her hand.

"126, we know more than anyone else how serious you take the mission that we have given you" Lotus reassured with a smile. Loki's eyes widened. He had never seen the _Tenno_leader smile.

"Despite your rather ample acts of absurd behavior while on duty with 247..." Lotus added with slight amusement in her voice before her expression suddenly became serious. "-no other Tenno could keep her more safe."

Loki blinked several times and nodded. "I-I am honored to have received such compliments" he stumbled, shocked to have received such praise from the leader of his people. The council member who sat to the far left spoke: a male, elderly voice.

"Rest assured, 126, this meeting is us simply telling you to keep up the excellent work of protecting 247." The Tenno who sat to his right nodded sincere approval.

"However", a female voice interjected. Loki looked to the Tenno to Lotus' direct right. The council member stood up and looked straight at him.

"You must not allow our words to soften the resolve you hold now, nor permit you to take your mission any less seriously. Do you understand?" she dictated while the entire room fell dead silent. Loki took a deep breath and quickly jumped to his feet, bowed sharply and decided to reaffirm the oath he had taken a year ago.

"I, 126-Loki understand! My punishment adjudicated by the honorable Lotus and her Council is just and fair! My mission is to protect 247-Nyx at all costs! My life is to be expendable without any hesitation! On the blood of my ancient ancestors, the ineffaceable Orokins, and the magnificent stars that birthed them into this world, I pledge to see my sacred task to the very end!"

Loki bellowed the last sentence as loud as he could. His heart pounded as he held his breath. The council member nodded and sat back down in her chair. A few moments passed before Lotus broke the silence. "It seems that you have once again convinced us that we should not doubt your conviction nor your talent. Your mission stands: protect your partner at all costs." she stated at ease. "Captain, you are dismissed." Loki looked up to see Lotus and the her council members fade away. The overhead light soon faded too and he was left alone in the dark. _Gah!_ Loki expelled the air in his lungs noisily as he gasped for air. His emotions ran high during the meeting, and now he felt slightly sick.

He walked back to the door and knocked. The door opened and the Colonel peered over Loki's shoulder before nodding. The guards behind him let him pass before they closed the doors behind him. After exchanging departing formalities, the Colonel and his guards marched off in the opposite direction, perhaps to question someone else. _Protect your partner at all costs._ Lotus' voice echoed through Loki's mind. A wave of nausea washed over Loki and his throat became dry. He swallowed. Again. Again. Loki's heart sunk. It was happening. He needed to get back to his room immediately. His brisk walk soon turned into a full sprint, tears forming at his eyes.

One year ago, Loki was responsible for of a heinous crime. He was found guilty on all counts and was sentenced to death by incineration. Eventually he was sent to Lotus to confess his sins to her in person. Whether Lotus at the time she felt incredibly sympathetic towards him or somehow knew that he would become one of the top ten strongest Tenno to represent the Loki WarFrame, he would never know.

Lotus revoked the death sentence and instead ordered him to protect 247-Nyx, a low-ranking and seemingly ordinary Tenno agent, with his life, for the rest of his life, no exceptions. Later he was briefed in secret that the Nyx he was ordered to protect was in fact a one of a kind: her name was Serah, and she was the only Tenno in existence and recorded history ever to be able to use WarFrame powers without any sort of armor on. Loki refused to believe the farfetched claim until he was presented with 247-Nyx's dossier. A 24 hour patient camera had captured Serah performing a weak version of "Psychic Bolts" attack in her sleep. She wore nothing except for a hospital gown and the bandages wrapped around her head. She had been admitted to the medical ward the prior day for she had suffered a serious head injury during a sabotage mission. Even after the injury healed, the doctors kept her in stasis to see if they could study the unbelievable phenomenon. It reoccurred again, several times: inconsistent variants of "Mind Control" "Chaos" and even "Absorb" were performed.

However, each day that went by, the length and the power of the phenomenon weakened to the point where it eventually stopped all together. Tenno doctors all agreed that lack of mental activity dulled Serah's senses, and if they wanted to continue to study her, she needed to be released and kept in the field to keep her mind active. Nonetheless, it was essential to keep this a secret from other Tenno, and most importantly, herself. Serah's original partner 313-Saryn was partnered with 494-Frost, and Loki became Serah's partner under the guise that her superiors believed that she would work better with 126-Loki. A WarFrame power cancellation shield was installed right down the middle of their room in secret as a barrier between Loki's and Nyx's side. It was invisible and could be walked through without any sensation at all. Although her power usages at night were incredibly weak (her Psychic Bolts attack were the size of toothpicks and dissipated before they hit the wall) the barrier was installed as a precaution.

Loki accepted his new task zealously, for he was not ready to die yet. The room to his door opened and a he fell to the floor, his memories flooding back. They were coming back and he couldn't stop them. He crawled towards his bed, the interval between each breath grew more and more erratic. Loki reached underneath his bed, feeling wildly around until his fingers made contact. He retrieved a small metal container, punched in the four-digit pass code speedily and grabbed the small .3 ml syringe inside. Loki struggled to bring himself up to lean against his own bed. Without rolling up his sleeve or checking for air bubbles, he jammed the syringe into his arm and pushed the barrel all the way to the end. The sedative entered his bloodstream and instantly his eyes grew heavy and his arms fell to the floor, numb. He always did this when his grief grew to unbearable levels. He had to do it, for being conscious during his panic attacks drove him absolutely _insane_.

It was the guilt of the atrocious crime he had committed the year before. The memories of that fateful day were forever engraved into Loki's mind, destined to haunt him for the rest of his life.

Loki was responsible for the death of 501-Ember.

* * *

**Author's Note**

Please leave a review and thanks for reading!


	4. Chapter 4: Awakening

_Chapter Four_

Nyx awoke with a gasp. She blinked as her eyes slowly adjusted to the dimly lit room. Pain shot through her head as she tried to sit up. She tried again but the pain forced her back down. Her hands felt around her head, and was surprised that she didn't feel any bandages nor bruises. She hadn't suffered a head injury, but it felt as if someone had bashed her skull with a Fragor Heavy Hammer. On her left was a medical scanner which displayed her heart rate and other vitals. She was in a medical ward bed. _How did I get here?_ She was on a mission with Loki; an extermination mission on the derelict Grineer mining ship that had been overrun with Infested. Six other Tenno agents had been assigned to the very same ship. The last thing she remembered was Loki hugging her.

Her eyes widened in sudden remembrance, but then soon closed in annoyance. After she had thought that the corridor was clear, she decided to meditate in the middle of the elevator without waiting to order the doors closed. The lead Ancient Disruptor must have feigned death and leapt at her and Loki when they let their guard down. _Clever bastard _she mouthed. Nyx rubbed her temples and groaned. Where was Loki? She wanted to see him. She lifted her head slightly and peered downwards at her side to see that a chair was positioned towards her. Had he visited her earlier? She looked at the clock above the door. It read 9:24 PM Earth time. She remembered checking the time right before the Infested charged down the corridor. She furrowed her eyebrows. It must have been around 2:00 PM ET or so, for she couldn't recall the specific time. This meant that she was unconscious for about seven or so hours.

Nyx pushed the light blanket on top of her as far as she could reach. She had been stripped of her original interior armor and clothed with a very thin hospital gown. Her hands felt around the curves and surfaces of her body, neck to waist. She had a slim, fit body. Obesity did not exist within the Tenno people, their discipline and lifestyle did not allow it, nor did the Lotus. All Tenno had little to no fat on their bodies. Female and male Tenno alike who fell underneath the 'Medium' or 'Light' class had to be in top shape in the following categories: agility, endurance, and stamina. 'Heavy' classes had to accomplish the latter but agility was replaced with physical strength.

There were no wounds on her body either. Although she couldn't reach her lower-half, she was positive she'd find nothing. So why was she admitted to the hospital? For simply blacking out? Puzzled, Nyx felt the left side of her bed for the memo pad. She brought it and held it above her as she tapped the screen to activate it. The pad was already at the "Status Report" section. Nyx half-smiled. She was sure now that Loki had surely visited her. He was known to be straight to the point, skipping anything he deemed irrelevant or unimportant. It made sense he didn't care about administered time or who had seen her. She read the short diagnosis in her head. _Mental overexertion. Severe mental breakdown. Combat induced stress._ She nodded to herself as these seemed to be accurate. It was true that she was frustrated that she had so little time to meditate, and the one time she decided to try while on duty, she nearly got herself and her partner killed. These micro stressors must have built up within her for a very, very long time and abruptly hit her all at once.

_247 confirmed as VIP by Lotus. Partner wanted for questioning._ The nodding stopped. _VIP? ...wanted for questioning?_ She turned off the memo pad and hung it back on the side of the bed and her eyes widened in concern. Had she gotten Loki in trouble with their superiors? What was this VIP business? She wasn't anywhere near the top ten Nyx's who represented her WarFrame, nor did she believe her skills earned her a VIP status. Questions raced through her mind as she considered as to why she was 'important' or why Loki was wanted for questioning. "Oh no." she said out loud. _They probably thought he was responsible for her hospitalization!_ But surely they reviewed their helmet camera feeds? If so, then it would have clearly shown that she was in the wrong, and that _he _saved her. She sat up immediately. A jolt of pain shot through her head. She inhaled through her teeth as she brought her hands to her head. The sudden movement hurt like hell.

The thought of trying to sneak out of the medical ward crossed her mind, but it was impossible under her circumstances. The door to her room could only be opened from the outside, or the inside with a special key card. Even if she did manage to get past the door _and_ the alert receptionist, the sight of anyone still in a hospital gown was sure to cause suspicion. She carefully lowered her head back to the pillow and closed her eyes. She really did wish Loki was here with her. If he was, he'd surely tell her bad jokes that she would never understand or even make fun of her. Granted, it would be annoy her greatly, but he was one of her only two friends: 126-Loki and current and ex-partner. They rarely had time to see one another, as her new partner was an high-ranking Tenno: 494-Frost. Because of that, they were tasked with high difficulty missions. Missions, that sometimes went for days and even weeks. And when she did return, her time was fully dedicated to training, sleeping and being briefed on her next mission.

They still kept in touch via terminal messages and sometimes Saryn even sacrificed time allocated for sleep to instead visit Nyx in person. Nyx absolutely treasured these moments with her old partner. Sometimes they went to the spa, sometimes they stargazed at the astronomy conservatory and sometimes they shared drinks at one of the many cafes on the floor Saryn lived on: floor 32. Nyx listened with fascination as Saryn revealed her life with her new partner. Apparently, 494-Frost was one of the top ten Tenno to represent the Frost WarFrame. Every WarFrame had a top ten ranking, yet the numerical order was never released to the ten to prevent jealousy along with to instill a balanced sense of motivation, for no one knew if they were the strongest or the weakest of the ten.

The last time they had met, which was almost about two months ago, Saryn revealed a secret she hadn't told anyone, not even her partner: she had fallen in love with him. Nyx almost choked on her drink when Saryn confessed. They spent the next half an hour or so discussing how it happened. The day Saryn was issued a new partner, she was incredibly nervous. It took long amounts of time and effort to establish a strong bond between partners. Whenever Tenno switched, it was difficult, no matter how disciplined and experienced both agents were. She was relieved when she discovered it was a Frost. Frosts were focused, serious, and often merciless during combat. This particular set of characteristics matched well with Saryn's bold, sophisticated and alluring character. Nyx never met this famed Frost user, but according to Saryn, he was unbelievably handsome. He was powerfully built and had dark blue eyes coincidentally. Saryn admitted with a blush that she often forgot what she wanted to say when she looked into his eyes during conversations. Not only was he physically attractive, his discipline and determination amazed Saryn, and under his guidance and training, she herself became significantly stronger. It took only a matter of months for Saryn to develop feelings for him.

Saryn was attractive, and many Tenno had tried to court her over the years without success. She was tall, had lush black hair, and her brown eyes radiated with confidence and charm. Romance between partners was advised against by Lotus, as it usually strained the relationship between partners. There were cases where Tenno worked better in the field once they had entered a relationship, but most suffered in cooperation and performance due to complications. Saryn concluded with embarrassment that she was too afraid to tell Frost her feelings, nor wanted to make any advances on him. She feared that it would strain their partnership, and she didn't want to switch partners again, for she truly loved working with him and being with him.

Nyx remained relatively silent throughout the story; she slurped her drink with wonder and excitement in her eyes. The occasional nod and gasp escaped her lips as she took in the scandalous story. After she was finished, Saryn burned bright pink from admitting her secret and in front of her relatively silent best friend. She quickly countered and redirected her embarrassment towards Nyx by asking if she had any feelings for her partner. This caused Nyx to spit out her drink into a fantastic spray. She wiped her mouth and vehemently denied that she had any feelings for him. They worked well, but he was a jerk. A talkative jerk. A talkative, rude jerk. Saryn grinned and rested her chin on both of her palms as she listened to Nyx's impish rant about her partner. When time was up, they embraced tightly and discussed the idea of bringing their respective partners and sharing a meal together or something of the sort the next time all four of them were free. And then she was gone. Gone to rest right before the extermination mission she had together with Frost in the morning.

Nyx's eyes grew heavy and she yawned. She finally decided to stay the recommended recuperation time. One and even two days would be more than enough time to catch up on much needed meditation and rest. She pulled the blanket back up to her chin and turned to her right side. She wished that she had been awake when he visited her. There was so many things she wanted say to him. Apologize for almost getting him killed. Apologize for being stupid. Apologize for being selfish. Apologize for being such a weakling. But most of all, thank him for saving her life.

Nyx touched her left cheek and smiled. He was a jerk. A silly jerk. A silly, devoted jerk.

* * *

**Author's Note**

Please leave a review and thanks for reading!


	5. Chapter 5: Façade

_Chapter Five_

A series of soft knocks came from the door. Loki groaned as he opened his eyes lazily. His eyes scanned the room, the lights were still on, and Nyx wasn't there: just the way he had left it. More knocks came, louder this time. Loki looked to his side and saw the empty syringe and the little box he had retrieved it from. He rolled to his side and grabbed the bed's frame for support while he brought himself to his feet: his body was still slightly weak and numb from the sedative. "Coming!" he answered dryly as he inserted the syringe into the box and slipped it beneath his bed's pillow. Next, he ruffled the blankets a bit before he shuffled to the door. He wanted to feign sleepiness and not a hangover.

Loki tilted his head slightly as the door opened. He blinked surprise. There stood in front of him was the medical ward receptionist he met earlier when he had visited Nyx. She wore a grey colored dress this time, hair still tied up in the same fashion. "Good morning, Captain" she said with a smile and then bowed. Possibly sensing the confusion in his eyes, she chuckled. "Forgotten me already have you?" Loki shook his head.

"No, not at all, doctor. I remember you" he said and then gestured towards her. "I never got your title."

"693-Trinity" she replied. He nodded and bowed, which allowed him to sneak a look at his wristwatch. It was half past nine in the morning. Which meant that he had been knocked out for a full night. He returned his gaze to her.

"Is there anything you need, Doctor?" he asked nervously.

Trinity looked down at her feet for a split second before making eye contact again with Loki. "Your partner 247-Nyx has regained consciousness." Loki's eyes lit up instantly.

"That's wonderful!" he blurted out excitedly. A tired looking Tenno down the hallway looked at them with puzzlement. Embarrassed, Loki cleared his throat and lowered his voice. "When?"

"Records show that she regained consciousness late last night. She's been in and out of sleep since then." Trinity finished optimistically.

Loki rubbed his arm. "I better clean myself up and visit her then." Loki paused, and then raised an eyebrow. "Doctor, why did you go through all the trouble to personally tell me this? You could have sent a message via terminal."

His abrupt inquiry caught Trinity off guard. She laughed nervously. "O-Oh! It's because I like to tell these things in person." She nodded as if to agree with herself. "It's more sincere in my opinion."

"Makes sense." He suddenly lost interest in his conversation with Trinity. "Well, I want to thank you Doctor, for coming all this way to tell me. I sincerely appreciate it." Loki gave a small bow in which Trinity returned sharply. "Excuse me." Just as he was about to close the door, Trinity spoke again.

"Captain?" Loki held the door open.

"Yes, Doctor?"

"There's one more thing." Trinity put her hands together. "Lotus has ordered that you remain off duty until your partner makes a full recovery."

Loki scratched his head. "I appreciate Lotus' generosity. Thank you for everything you have done Doctor."

Trinity smiled and nodded. "It's my pleasure Captain." She took a step back and bowed. "Farewell." She then disappeared around the corner of the hallway.

Loki let the door close as he made his way over to his bed and sat down. His fingers ran across the area on his left shoulder where he had injected himself and exhaled. It was absolutely necessary that he did not let Nyx discover that he was abusing narcotics _and_ harboring romantic feelings for her. For if she found out, she would surely confront him about the others things he had kept secret from her. His mission still stood, which meant that Nyx's safety and well-being was top priority. Everything else, including his feelings, could simply go to hell.

Nyx opened her eyes and yawned loudly. Her room was well-lit, and outside her windows doctors passed by busily. _It must be morning._ She gasped excitedly and sat up to face her to her left side, but the chair was still empty. A split second later she remembered what followed sharp movements and brought her hands to her head but was pleasantly surprised that there was no pain. She let her hands fall to her side and sighed. It was common for Tenno to receive missions to execute the very next day, leaving little time to recover. He might have been assigned to another mission with a temporary partner or even a solo mission. Knowing Loki, he might have gone solo. Even though he always joked about getting another partner, it was glaringly obvious that he'd work with no one else. He always insisted on going solo if Nyx was not able to go with him for whatever reason.

She looked at the clock: it was just past 11:00 AM ET. Her stomach let out a growl: her last meal was more than a day ago. Before Nyx and her group of eight split into their smaller respective groups of two, they had just successfully completed a defend mission against the Infested. This time, Lotus had set her eye on two Grineer excavator mining machines instead of the usual Cryopod. While Lotus usually ordered the machines destroyed, the Grineer mining ship had gone adrift and was seemingly forgotten by the Queen Sisters. This allowed the Tenno to take their time to secure the excavators for their own use while also thoroughly search the Grineer ship for loot without fear of reinforcements. The drills were left for the extraction team to handle while the primary team was sent to different sectors of the ship on to exterminate the Infested who still lingered in the dead ship's corridors.

When they cleared out a engineer catwalk without any other points of entrance beside the door at both ends of the catwalk, Loki offered to take point so that Nyx could eat. WarFrame helmets were capable of being removed completely or it could fold back into the users' torso, leaving the head exposed. In order to have her hands free to eat, she went with the latter. Nyx opened the small can of Corpus rations and was delighted to find an delicious assortment of seasoned meats and vegetables. As a direct result of their massive web of established trade routes and fantastic gold reserves, the Corpus fed their people _well:_ with the best quality meats, vegetables and grains the solar system could offer. She made no effort to suppress her muffled groans of delight much to Loki's annoyance.

The Tenno's code did not permit them to outright raid enemy ships and outposts for the sole purpose of stealing goods. Raiding was only permitted if a more important objective had been accomplished in the same mission and there was no immediate threat to the safety of the Tenno. After all plunder had been confiscated and scanned into the system for inventory, a small percentage was then distributed to those who had secured them. The most went to those who had the highest battle-performance scores. The performance scores were based off factors such as _kill count_, _ammunition used/accuracy, assists, and headshots_.

Nyx smiled. It was always amusing when she outperformed Loki and she absolutely loved to rub it into his face that he lost to a "rookie" and a "girl". Her personal favorite was "an absentminded Nyx who can't even beat me at chess". 'Chess' was a board game that had been invented millennia before: origin unknown. The simplicity of the game and the aptitude that was needed to win made it popular among Tenno. For Loki, herself, and many others, the amount of time for leisure was always very limited. Despite this, she enjoyed spending some of that precious to play a nice round of chess with Loki. Granted, she always lost against him, but the thrill that came along kept her passionate about the game.

Her sigh transitioned into a yelp as the door suddenly opened and a loudly panting Loki tumbled through carrying a small container in his hands. "Nyx! I brought-" he started, but tripped over himself and plummeted to the floor. He threw out his hands and landed onto the floor with a thud, with the parcel in front of him. Nyx sat up and crawled to the edge of the bed.

"A-Are you okay?" she asked, one hand on the edge of her bed and the other clutched over her chest. Loki sprung to his feet and gave her a thumbs up.

"I got you something!" he said with a grin - which soon turned into a look of concern. Nyx's eyes reddened and it looked as if she was about to burst into tears any moment. "Nyx, what's wro-!?" he started before she lurched forwards and wrapped her arms around him tightly. Loki set the container onto the bed and returned the embrace; one hand on wrapped around her waist and the other caressed the back of her head."I'm here. I'm here Nyx", he whispered reassuringly.

Loki struggled to make sense of his own feelings of seeing Nyx awake and well, along with her body language. Her face was buried into his chest, and her hands tightly grasped the back of his uniform. He could also feel the warmth of her breath and the speedy heartbeat that pulsated against his own chest. His own heart rate spiked when his hand felt nothing underneath Nyx's gown but her own skin. Although he wished to hold her longer, he painfully made the decision to pull away. Nyx's hands remained on him still, as if they silently wished to continue to hold him. But she too, finally relinquished.

"You came" Nyx said with a hiccup. She covered her mouth quickly. A growl from her stomach soon followed. Loki chuckled as Nyx put her other hand over her stomach. She was literally gushing with embarrassment. It was such a contrast to see Nyx who was so composed and quiet, fret over childish things such as a hiccup and a growling stomach. "W-What's so funny?" she stammered.

"You are." Loki moved to the side of the bed and lifted Nyx effortlessly into his arms. She began to struggle, but stopped when he simply laid her back against the head of the bed and lifted the blanket over her. Next, he took a seat in the chair and stretched over to the foot of the bed to retrieve the little rectangular container. He bounced it in his hands and let out a small sigh before making eye contact with Nyx, who was already intently looking at him.

As if she read his mind, Nyx spoke first. "Loki", she said abruptly. "I want to apologize for what happened on our last mission together." She dropped her head apologetically. "I'm sorry for endangering our lives and for being so foolish and for being so weak-" Her voice trailed off. The silence that followed was broken by Loki who put a hand on her shoulder.

"I forgive you. I also want to apologize for yelling at you like that. Can you forgive me?" She nodded as a single tear rolled down her cheek.

"Of course I forgive you". Her stomach growled once more, which caused couple to laugh, greatly reducing the tension. He handed the container to her, which she took carefully into her hands. "It's warm" she said while looking at it.

"Open it" Loki replied, as he handed her a pair of Alloy Plate chopsticks. She took them and flipped the lock open. Inside was a three sectional lunchbox. One half of it was a portion of stir fried noodles sautéed with Saflora, a herb-based sauce. The other two quarts of the box had steamed vegetables with a dollop of fermented Raudan paste on top and a large cube of fried bean curd, topped with diced potatoes.

She looked back at Loki with disbelief on her face. She wasn't surprised that Loki had made the meal himself, for she knew he could cook _well_. She was surprised that he managed to get his hands on Saflora sauce and Raudan paste. Saflora was composed of herbs that only grew on Ceres: one of the most heavily guarded planets under Grineer control. This made Saflora cost three-hundred _thousand _credits for a single liter. Raudan on the other hand was a special fermented paste which like alcohol, grew in quality over time. A genetically modified food originally designed by the Corpus, it soon became a good only enjoyed by the richest of those in the solar system. It was only acquired through raiding or purchase through the black market, for an exorbitant price of _half a million_ credits per pint.

"I know that you appreciate food more than I do" he beamed while crossing his arms. "Well go ahead, eat up!" he pointed at the food and stuck out his tongue. "Or else I'll eat it for you!"

"Thank you so much!" Nyx closed her eyes and recited a short prayer before attacking the food. Loki crossed his legs and rested his chin on his hand as he watched as Nyx ate voraciously. Every few seconds or so, she stopped to groan satisfaction as usual. Within a few minutes, she had cleared most the lunchbox; only a few bites remained. She raised a clump of the noodles to her mouth but then stopped.

"Hey" she asked curiously. "Did you at least try some yourself?" Loki shifted in his chair and leaned back.

"No, I wanted you to have all of it" he replied with a soft smile.

"But this stuff costed a fortune, you have to try at least _some_."

It was true. Loki spent a tenth of his savings to get his hands on the ingredients. The Saflora sauce he had gotten his hands only a month ago, when he was sent onto a month long sabotage mission with Nyx and eight other Tenno on the planet of Ceres. The cave where they had selected as a base of operations was conveniently abundant with the herbs necessary for Saflora. During the nights, when the Tenno operatives returned to evade Grineer security, Loki gathered as many of the herbs as he could and began the lengthy process of grinding them with a pestle and mortar, and then dozens of other steps.

For Loki, Cooking was a hobby which he enjoyed very much. It acted as a form of artistic release and was also a good source of revenue, for he knew many exotic recipes from different cultures; Tenno, Corpus, and even Grineer. Because of this, he was frequently asked to cook dishes for others (he charged for materials and a small fee for time/effort) and at one point because of an injury which put him out of the field, he was commissioned as a chef. Whatever profits he made was added to his savings. The Raudan paste on the other hand he had purchased from the quartermasters: Tenno in charge of keeping tabs on inventory. He asked for the item and paid on the spot. The vegetables and bean curd only cost him about a hundred credits. 500,100 credits poorer, Loki hoped that it would cheer Nyx up. From what he could see, it worked.

Nyx offered a bite of noodles to Loki. "Nyx, I made it for-" Loki started before Nyx glared at him.

"Okay okay!" Loki sheepishly opened his mouth and allowed Nyx to put the noodles into his mouth. He chewed thoughtfully and swallowed.

"How do you like your own cooking?" Nyx asked with a grin.

Loki nodded and rubbed his chin. "Damn good if I say so myself. Ha, you know I made the Saflora sauce during our mission on Ceres?"

"What!?" Nyx blurted in disbelief.

Loki chuckled. "You know how you the cave we stayed in was very damp?"

Loki spent the rest of the day with Nyx. Besides the single Trinity nurse who came in to check on Nyx, they were left alone. He told her stories of his "antics" such as the time when he wandered into a Grineer armory locker undetected on a ship and decided to empty out the fuel canisters to replace them with water instead. Later, on that very same mission when a hidden camera caught sight of the Tenno and Grineer were sent to intercept them, the Grineers with Ignis' stared at the floor with confusion as to why their weapons shot water instead of the regular flames with a six foot reach while Loki and the others picked them off one by one.

Loki later requested for a chessboard from the receptionist and they played three games. Naturally, Nyx lost all three, and many insults were exchanged during the rounds along with many laughs. It was a nice change of atmosphere for the both of them. Loki noticed that Nyx had opened up considerably since the incident. While it traumatized her briefly, the incident -he believed- helped Nyx grow closer out of her shell, for there had never been an incident where such sincerity and trust was shown between the two.

In the evening, Loki read to Nyx the novel _Friend or Foe?, _a novel that focused on the Tenno's mysterious origins and agenda along with the question as to why they are targeted by the solar system's biggest forces: the Grineer and the Corpus. Even the Infested who were intelligent pursued the flesh of Tenno with insatiable lust. Loki read by candlelight as Nyx listened attentively. It was admirable that the author managed to keep most of his facts accurate. However, some of the authors speculations about the Tenno were so outrageously wrong and farfetched, that Loki and Nyx couldn't help but guffaw at the inaccuracy. An hour passed by until Loki looked up from the book to see Nyx quietly asleep with a goofy smile across her face.

Before he decided to follow suit, he set the book on the table and took Nyx's left hand into his own. For this one night, there was nothing to worry about. No anxiety of when the next mission was. No Infested Ancients. No near death encounters. He blew out the candle. Just each other.

* * *

**Author's Note**

Please leave a review and thanks for reading!


	6. Chapter 6: Dawn

Chapter Six

There were loud knocks at the door. Loki opened his eyes lazily and leaned forward in his chair. The knocks came again, louder. Loki let a quiet _tch_ escape his lips. He thought he had left the 'Do not disturb' sign outside. He checked his wristwatch, it was about six in the morning, which meant that there were two more hours until the medical staff started to conduct their checkups. He turned his head to look at Nyx, who was soundly asleep. Then, a small beep emitted from the other side of the door and it swished open. It wasn't 693-Trinity this time. Loki stood just in time to lock eyes with the powerfully built Colonel who had escorted him to Lotus the day before. He was in a crisp silk platinum uniform with full insignia, ranks, and awards which meant that he had just been in a briefing session with top-ranking Tenno command. The belt of Kunai was still strapped to his waist. It was odd, for officers and security were authorized to carry guns, but they were modified to only shoot stun rounds. The Colonel was the only officer to openly carry a bladed weapon; something that was definitely not non-lethal. Loki bowed, uncertain of what to make of the sudden intrusion. The Ash nodded. "At ease, 126" he replied gruffly. His gaze fell onto Nyx, who had began to stir from the Colonel's loud voice. Loki looked at her, and then back to the Colonel.

"Colonel-" Loki said with a whisper. "May we take this outside?"

"You and I will be seeing one another more often now." The Colonel pointed to Nyx. "Her too. He looked Loki straight in the eyes. You may both now informally address me as 44-Ash" the Colonel replied in his usual loud voice, clearly ignoring Loki's request. "It is unfortunate that I have to be the bearer of such news to you again. But you and 247 have been reinstated. Her grace period has expired and the both of you are needed back in the field." Loki's eyes widened with alarm. "Today." Ash added for emphasis.

Loki stumbled as he struggled to keep his tone in check with the Colonel. "That can't be" he said through gritted teeth. "I honestly do not believe she's-"

"The time is 6:04. Report to briefing room eight on floor 55 no later than 9:00. Do I make myself absolutely clear?"

Loki clenched his fists and bowed. "Understood, Colonel."

"Good." Ash gave a small nod and then exited just as quickly as he had entered.

As soon as he heard the door close, Loki covered his mouth and swore. He was seething with bitterness, and confusion. _Had Lotus ordered this?_ Loki bit his lip. Trinity had told him that he were to remain off-duty until Nyx had made a full recovery. Granted, the estimated recuperation time for her was one to two days, but the staff hadn't even had the opportunity to conduct their daily check on Nyx to judge for themselves whether or not she had recovered. Loki thought about asking a doctor to check her, and let the doctor decide if she was fit for combat. But if the order came from the same individual who escorted him to meet with Lotus, and to personally reinstate him and Nyx back into service, then the Colonel -although only two ranks ahead of him- must have some sort of direct connection to Lotus.

Loki returned to his seat and rubbed his temples with frustration. How would he tell Nyx? His wristwatch now read 6:05. Which meant that in less than three hours, he and his partner would have to report to a mission briefing. Briefings lasted anywhere from five minutes to half an hour, depending on how complex or dangerous the mission was. As soon as the briefing ended, Tenno were always flown out to carry out their mission within one hour.

A hand rested on Loki's right shoulder, and he looked up to see Nyx looking at him with a smile on her face. "Did I wake you?" Loki said as he struggled to return the smile.

Nyx shook her head. "I was awake ever since the Colonel came in." Loki opened his mouth and gestured towards her. She nodded. "I heard everything he said."

Loki half tried to contain his sigh, but he let it out childishly, as if to show Nyx that he disproved of it, even though he knew she knew. Nyx sat up and inhaled deeply. "We are Tenno. Orders are orders" she announced firmly. "We are Tenno" Loki replied. "We are Tenno."

Within half an hour, Loki had gotten a Trinity to do a final exit check for Nyx. All of her vitals were back to normal, and her stress levels were back in the green. The doctor did express her opinion that Nyx take up a supportive role in her upcoming mission, and to use her Warframe powers sparingly. Nyx's WarFrame had been taken back to their room after being admitted into the medical ward, but her under armor was kept for her. Loki waited outside the room and expressed his gratitude with the Trinity while Nyx changed inside. When the door opened, a refreshed, and optimistic Nyx greeted him. Her smile and brilliant green eyes put Loki at ease. Loki signed the exit waver, and then were on their way.

The two of them didn't say a word to each other on their way back to their room. A comfortable silence was shared between the two partners. They entered their room just after seven. Nyx entered the bathroom and closed the door behind her. The quiet hum of water soon followed.

Loki stripped out of his uniform and neatly placed it back into his drawers and retrieved a fresh set of under armor. Tenno under armor was a flexible uniform that was made out of _Sennin_ fiber. Sennin fiber was a strong and durable tailoring material, when woven together, created a shock-absorbent cloth armor. The armor was very light and covered the entire body, from neck to ankle. It was thickest around the area of organs and consisted of 1000 stitches every six inches. If, a Tenno's WarFrame was punctured, they would have one last line of defense to protect them. While relatively primeval compared to the WarFrame, it was considered a symbol of good luck. Loki wrapped the suit around his body and tightened the straps. Next, he stepped into his ammo locker. "Assemble".

"Assemble: engaged" the computer replied. The spider-like mechanical arms went to work as they put together Loki's WarFrame piece by piece, magnetizing and bolting it together. "Assembly: completed." Loki stepped out of the ammo locker and stretched. It was a tight fit. Good. Next, he retrieved his Ether and Lex from the sides of the locker. He swung the Ether over his shoulder and it magnetized onto his back. He checked his Lex next. Everything seemed to be in working condition. Trigger, guard, action, and safety were fully functional. He filled the slots on his WarFrame designated for secondary ammunition (the waist and thighs) and also the slots for primary (torso and waist). He would have to stop by the armory to pick up another Braton, however.

The bathroom door opened and out stepped Nyx with a towel draped over her body. Her hair stood up in a silly manner, and her eyes almost glistened against the steam that had followed her out of the shower. Her Absorbtattoo was also visible on the left side of her neck. She nodded at Loki and he nodded back to her.

_Turn off visual display_. The colorful 180 degree field of vision which included his shields, health, mini map and all, went black. WarFrame's functions could be controlled through a Tenno's nervous system. He did this to give Nyx privacy whenever she were to change. If he wasn't in his WarFrame, he just simply turned around and faced his side of the room. Loki gave a thumbs up. The sound of wet feet against hard floor, a towel dropping, and a drawer opening was all Loki heard. "Assemble" Nyx said quietly. Loki heard the familiar sound of the claws going to work. "Assembly: completed."

_Turn on visual display._ Loki's vision came back to see Nyx step out of her own locker and take her weapons out. She swung her Heat Blade onto her shoulder and then holstered her dual Akboltos. She grabbed her Latron last. He heard her yawn as she bounced up and down to get the feel of her armor. "Whoa, Nyx!" Loki blurted out with surprise. Nyx turned around and tilted her head.

"What is it, Loki?" she asked.

"Did you change your color scheme?" he asked innocently. "I _swear_ you were a different shade of green and black last time I saw you."

Nyx actually laughed out loud this time to Loki's surprise. She walked towards him and playfully punched him in the chest. Loki feigned pain and fell to his side. "Oh no! I've been disrupted!" he yelled dramatically. Nyx laughed harder this time, to the point where she had to rest her hands on her knees to catch her breath. Loki smiled as he put a arm around Nyx. "Come on rookie, we have a meeting to go to." She brushed his arm off and giggled. "Yes, Captain".

By the time they left their room ready for briefing in their WarFrames, it was only quarter to eight, which left them some time to relax. They decided to eat a hearty breakfast together, and while Loki went to the armory to pick up a new weapon, Nyx decided to spend some time alone in her floor's garden. Every floor of the Tenno colony had a large botanical garden which had a small brook run through.

It was a popular location for Tenno to meditate, exercise, and even rendezvous with lovers. There were stepping stones in the middle of the brook wide enough in diameter to allow a single Tenno to sit cross-legged. There were about ten stones, and only three were currently being used. An off-duty Volt and Vauban sat next to one another, and about four stones down, sat a lone Banshee. Nyx made sure to walk past them as quietly as she could. She hopped onto a stone and decided to sit in a kneeling position. She became a bit emotional, because right before Loki had woken her up to protect her from the Ancient, the scenery she sat in now was eerily similar to what she imagined herself to be in. She concentrated harder this time, determined to reach her calm state without the WarFrame's help. She slowed her breathing, listened intently to the water's movement and thought about the people she cared most about, Saryn and Loki. Inhale. Exhale. Inhale. Exhale.

Her body went slightly numb as her consciousness left the confines of her body. She entered the analytical stage of meditation. In the depths of her mind and soul, she reviewed and meditated on all of her previous missions. What went well, what went wrong, and what could be improved. She made it vehemently clear to never act so selfish in a mission again. She also made a promise to do her best to become a better partner for Loki. He was always protecting her. Through the stupid jokes, the teasing, never once did he fail to be there for her. He always came through and they always finished their objectives as a team. Nyx smiled. She was indeed very lucky to have him as a partner. Not every day does a Tenno find themselves to be partnered with someone who is within the top ten ranks of their chosen WarFrame class.

Nyx entered her self-reflection stage of her meditation. She was a Tenno. Her people were the descendants of the great Orokins whose knowledge and technology still sent waves of awe and envy throughout the galaxy. She was also a young warrior, and had much to learn in the pursuit of the art of war and spirituality. Her near-death experience opened her eyes considerably to how proud and stubborn she was. In her pursuit to better herself and to let her skill silence those who doubted her, she had adopted a slight veil of arrogance. It was her duty and responsibility to shed such toxic attitudes and instead keep them pure and loyal to her people and her partner.

Nyx then thought about the time. She didn't know how much time passed, but she was sure Loki had gotten his hands on a replacement rifle already. She exhaled forcefully and let her mind return to her body. She opened her eyes slowly. Her visor displayed that the time was now 8:27; the meeting would start in half an hour. She looked to her right and noticed that the Banshee had left. The Vauban and Volt were still in their respective places. She stood up, and carefully hopped over the brook and back onto the garden's cobble path.

The doors to the garden opened and she stepped out, to see Loki with his back against the wall, bouncing his new Braton in his hands. "Loki, I'm ready" she called to him. Loki waved and walked over to Nyx.

"Are you ready to go?" he asked softly.

Nyx nodded her head and cracked her knuckles. "I'm ready."

Loki nodded. "Alright then, let's go."

They arrived at the briefing room ten minutes early, but decided to go in anyways.

The room was well-lit with a hologram screen in the very front, like a classroom. The floor was tiled, and had a very minimalist look. There was no furniture except the eight seats in the middle of the room. Two of the seats were filled. A Rhino and a Frost sat, conversing with one another. Loki immediately recognized the color schemes of both their WarFrames. They were the two Tenno from the mission two days prior. The sound of the door opening and closing, caught their attention, and they looked up to make eye contact with Loki and Nyx.

"You two!" the Frost exclaimed excitedly. He stood up and rushed over to greet the duo. "We meet again! I am 307" Frost said followed by a small bow. "And you are-?" he gestured towards Nyx and Loki.

"I am 126" Loki answered. "She is 247." Loki and Nyx bowed in unison.

"Feeling better?" Frost asked calmly.

Nyx nodded her head. "Yes, just some stress issues, that's all" she replied, with a nervous laugh. Loki tensed as he saw the Rhino make his way over to the conversation.

The large Tenno stood in silence for a few heartbeats before speaking. "I am 448." He bowed towards Nyx specifically. He then straightened his posture and cleared his throat. Frost nudged him. Rhino sighed and then looked towards Loki. "I apologize for my comments the other day. I sincerely apologize."

Loki raised an eyebrow, then grinned. "Apology accepted." Loki extended his hand, in which the Rhino took, and they shared a firm handshake.

Frost put his hands on his hips. "Now that wasn't too hard was it?"

Rhino pushed Frost away. "No, d_ad._"

Nyx giggled. "That's funny-" She stopped herself. "Wait, you two are-?"

The Frost laughed heartily. "Indeed! This is my son who loves to throw hissy fits!" his proclaimed loudly.

Rhino attempted to tackle him just as he finished his sentence but was caught in a headlock. Nyx and Loki looked with amusement as the father and son goofed off.

"Whoa, what's going on here?" a curious voice asked. The four stopped what they were doing to see another duo standing at the door. Loki squinted. It was the Saryn and the Ember from the exact same mission they had two days ago. The Ember held her hands over her visor like binoculars.

Nyx grabbed Loki and whispered into his ear. "This is too coincidental, don't you think?"

Loki nodded as he watched the Saryn and Ember walk towards them. "I've had recurring team mates, but never this soon." He leaned back quickly to greet the newcomers.

Saryn and Ember bowed, and then introduced themselves. "I'm 771" Saryn said as she pointed to herself.

"And I'm 1108!" the Ember declared cheerfully.

Loki and Nyx returned the formalities and introduced themselves. Turns out that Rhino, Frost, Saryn, and Ember were equally surprised that they had been paired together again. There were six of them, which meant that they were two members short of forming a team. Rhino and his father had just finished a mission the previous night, and were called this morning for an "urgent" mission. Saryn and Ember on the other hand were off-duty since the incident with Nyx. They too, were called in on this mission early on in the morning.

"Better take our seats. It's almost time." Frost said with casually. He was right, the time was now 8:59, and the one who was to brief them would be there soon. One by one, they took their seats. Loki and Nyx took the left half of the first row, while Saryn and Ember sat next to them. Frost and Rhino took the back. Like clockwork, when 9:00 rolled by, the door opened one final time, and Ash came in. He was in full WarFrame gear, and looked even more intimidating. He towered over everyone in the room, even Rhino and Frost. A Vauban followed him into the room and took a seat next to Rhino without a word.

"I can see that everyone is here on time." Ash said as he quickly scanned the room. "Good, let us begin today's briefing." The hologram screen behind him powered up, and the lights of the room dimmed. Ash cleared his voice. "As some of you may know, the Corpus treat Tenno prisoners very differently than the Grineer. Can anyone tell me how?"

Saryn rose her hand. Ash nodded and she stood up. "The Grineer take no prisoners."

"That is only half of the answer of I am looking for" Ash replied. There was silence in the room. Loki knew the full answer, but preferred not to speak. Ash grunted. "Very well, I will show you. You may sit, Saryn."

"Yes, sir."

The overhead finished powering on, and an image was projected onto the screen. There was noticeable discomfort among the group.

"This, my fellow Tenno, is what happens when Corpus scum get their hands on you." He turned around and looked at the screen himself. "He was beaten unconscious, stripped of his weapons, and flown to a unknown facility, where they tore off his WarFrame piece by piece by force." Nyx looked away from the image to swallow hard, before looking back at the screen.

It was a Volt, or what was left of him. A horribly disfigured and severed body lay on bloody operating table, where Corpus scientists were shown in the background with an empty WarFrame on a rack, where they were power washing the bits and pieces of flesh still attached to it when they ripped it off the Tenno's body.

Ash turned his attention back to the team. "This is what happens when the Corpus capture you. They will kill you, rip your body out of your WarFrame, sell your armor and what remains of your anatomy to the highest bidder!" Ash spat out. Everyone remained silent, and for a few seconds, only the sound of footsteps outside in the hallway were heard. He inhaled loudly but exhaled quietly and continued. "Just yesterday, our intelligence managed to get their hands on the list of scum who purchased "merchandise" from the Corpus ship X-25019." Ash changed the image on the screen, much to Nyx's relief. The next image was that of a Corpus frigate.

"Three days ago, a team of Tenno infiltrated this ship to carry out an ordinary exterminate mission. But things went wrong for whatever reason, and all four of them ended up dead. The Volt I showed you earlier was one of them." The screen changed images again. The picture was that of an ordinary Corpus Captain, surrounded by staff members of his bridge. The Corpus captain wore a blue shaded jumpsuit which set him apart from the ordinary red.

"The Captain of this ship is this _man_, Captain Murah Zeikah of the 13th Raiding Fleet. Intelligence shows four separate transactions for _hundreds_ of millions of credits were wired to his name for what we presume to be the remains of our comrades and their WarFrames. We have the locations of these four buyers and it is confirmed that whatever the Captain shipped out to these four buyers, it has already arrived at the agreed locations. Also! The Captain and his crew have landed at the port of Ymah on Europa. There, the ship will remain for two weeks to undergo repairs."

Ash switched images on the screen again, with a flowchart of Tenno. Loki quickly counted that there were 40 Tenno exact. "There will be five teams assigned for this mission! Bravo, Charlie, Delta, and Echo teams are to recover the bodies and their WarFrames from the four buyers' locations. We are Alpha team, and our mission is to apprehend the Captain and his crew." The image then transitioned to an overhead view of the Port of Ymah.

"Our primary objective is to make sure the crew of X-25019 don't escape our grasp. I am sending all of you the specifics of this mission which include target information, locations, and guidelines. Report to air terminal, ground level at exactly 10:00 for departure. Any further questions?"

"Sir! I have a question." Ember asked.

"What is your question, 1108?"

"What do we do once said targets are captured?"

" Kill them all" Ash said coldly.

With that, the Colonel gave a formal bow to the Tenno and headed for the door. The door opened and then he stopped to look back at the team.

"Whomever brings me the head of Zeikah will receive ten million credits. Bring him to me alive, and I will triple that amount. Dismissed!" he thundered.

"Yes sir!" everyone answered back in unison. Ash nodded and left. The lights went back on and the hologram screen powered off. Loki opened the document via his WarFrame's internal systems and began to study the details. They would be leaving in half an hour, at 10:00, and expected to be out for over two weeks. From what he heard, the mission seemed to be an ordinary assassination routine.

Loki looked behind to see the Vauban conversing with Saryn and Ember. _So he's the Colonel's partner, eh_? Vaubans tended to be very wise, humble, and often selfless. A bit unusual to be paired with an Ash, but Loki didn't think of it too much.

He instead, continued to scan through the report. He reached the difficulty rating given by command. The mission's difficulty rating was given a 9 on a scale of 1-10: as all Search and Destroy missions were rated. Search and Destroy missions combined three key elements of typical missions: Spy, Exterminate, and Sabotage. Tenno were to hack any data terminal they could get their hands on and to exterminate all designated targets.

Sabotage naively described the last element of the mission. In reality, Tenno were to carry out a _scorched-earth policy_. Which meant the total destruction and desecration of anything and everything valued by the enemy. The missions required Tenno to carry out the mission with _zero_ empathy, and given permission to toy with their victims, killing them off as prey, rather than worthy opponents. Because of this, Search and Destroy was a dangerous form of psychological warfare. If performed without a strong sense of self-control and restraint, it was sometimes common for Tenno to remain in the search and destroy mindset, even after if the mission was completed.

Loki looked over to Nyx, who seemed to be going over the report herself, quietly sitting by herself in her seat. He then clenched his fists and gritted his teeth. _What is Lotus thinking!? _Nyx was just pulled out of a stress related hospitalization and is assigned to a _Search and Destroy_ mission! Loki felt physically sick at the thought. Loki sunk into his seat, as a sense of hopelessness washed over him. How was he to shelter her from this? How was he to keep her away from this kind of warfare? A hand rested onto Loki's shoulder. Loki twitched as he turned to see Nyx standing next to him.

"Nyx, I-I" Loki stumbled, his voice trembling noticeably as he was on the verge of tears.

Nyx knelt down in front of him and wrapped her arms around him, embracing him tightly. He hugged her back."I'm so sorry" he whispered.

She gently rocked him back and forth "It will be okay. It will be okay" she kept repeating to him.

The rest of the group, maintained their distance to give privacy to Loki and Nyx, who seemed to be sharing an intimate moment with one another. Vauban turned to his new teammates. "Saryn, Ember, it was a pleasure to meet the both of you. I look forward to fighting with you on the field" he said with a humble nod. Saryn and Ember nodded back.

"The pleasure is ours, Major" Saryn replied.

Ember brought her hands to her face and failed to hold back her squeal. "You're so cool!

Saryn elbowed her partner on the shoulder. "Ember, keep it together" she warned.

Vauban chuckled. "It's quite alright. I'm not too strict on formalities." Vauban put a hand on Ember's shoulder and whispered into her ear.

"Do you think you can do me a favor, miss?"

Ember nodded eagerly.

"Tell the Loki and Nyx to change their weapon modifications. Where we are going, we won't need fire, but electricity."

* * *

**Author's Note**

Please leave a review and thanks for reading!


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